Press ironer



T. R. BUSH PRESS IRONER Sept. 3, 1940.

Filed Jan. 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 3, 1940. 'r. R. BUSH PRESS1110mm Filed Jan. 1'7, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I TifoaQre 77? I ISNTOR'TOR NE J" Patented Sept? 1940 UNITED STATES PRESS IRONER Theodore R.Bush, Royal Oak, Mich, assignor to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago,111., a corporation of Illinois Application January 17, 1938, Serial No.185,287

10 Claims.

This invention relates in general to ironing apparatus with particularreference to ironing apparatus of the portable hand-operated type.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an improved form ofpress ironer which is efiiicient in operation, light in Weight,relatively simple in construction, easy to operate and inexpensive tomanufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel form ofhand-operated press ironer in which a single lever is used forcontrolling the different operations of the apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new system of linkageswhereby operation of a single lever serves first to lock the ironingparts of the mechanism in ironing relationship and then to apply forceto such locking arrangement to increase the pressure between the ironingportions of the apparatus, such increased pressure being made possibleby the resilient mounting of one of the ironing instrumentalities.

Further objects will appear more fully hereinafter as the descriptionproceeds and will be pointed out more completely in the appended claims.

As illustrated in the drawings, the ironer of the invention comprises,in general, a rigid base which is adapted to be supported on a table orwork surface of any type and which resiliently supports at one end abuck. The opposite end of the base is provided with upstanding portionswithin which a movable arm is pivoted. The movable arm carries at itsforward end, and in opposition to the buck, a shoe for cooperation withthe buck. The arm also carries a manually operable lever and a lockingwedge which cooperates with a pin carried by the base for locking thearm and base with the buck and shoe in ironing relationship. A linkextends from the lever to a bell crank which is connected through asecond link to the knee of a toggle, one of the links of which has oneend forming the pin with which the wedge is locked. It will be notedthat as the toggle is straightened, force is applied against the lockingwedge to increase the pressure with which the shoe and buck are urgedtogether.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to theaccompanying drawings, of which there are two (2) sheets, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the ironing apparatus showing the shoedepressed into operative relationship with the buck;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the ironer shown inFig. 1, but showing the arm and shoe in their raised or inoperativeposition;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the ironingapparatus taken substan- 5 tially upon the plane indicated by the line33 of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the positionwhich the parts assume 10 during the final stage of the ironingoperation.

In the drawings, in which similar parts are designated by similarreference characters, the ironing apparatus is shown as comprising abase I0 which supports at its forward end a buck I2. 15 The buck I2 isprovided with depending bolts I4 around which are coiled compressionsprings l6. Bolts 14 pass through the frame I8 of the base l0 and thecompression springs l6 are seated at their lower ends upon washer 20resting upon the frame IS. A similar connection 22 is employed betweenthe upper end of the springs 16 and the buck l2.

A pair of upstanding portions 24 are provided adjacent the rear of thebase I0, such portions carrying a pivot shaft 26 upon which is pivotallymounted one end of an arm 28. The arm 28 carries a shoe 30 in positionto cooperate with the buck I2. 0

Arm 28 is provided at its rear end with a cylindrical socket 32 in whichthere is mounted a Wedge pin 34 having a wedging surface 36. Wedge 34 isspring-pressed downwardly by means of a compression spring 38 which hasone end bearing against wedge 34 and the other end bearing against theend of the socket 32. Spring 38 serves normally to project the wedge 34downwardly but is adapted to be retracted by means of a link 40, one endof which engages an aper- 40 ture 62 formed in a wedge 34. The oppositeend of link 40 is connected to a portion of a bell crank member Mpivoted at 46 upon the arm 28. A link 48 extends from the bell crank 44and has its other end 56 mounted in a slot 52 formed 45 in a mainoperating link 54.

Link 54 is connected at 56 to one end of manually operable lever 58fulcrumed upon a shaft ED extending transversely of the forward portionof the arm 28. With the arm in raised position 5 as shown in Fig. 2 andthe lever 58 at the rearward extent of its movement, link 54 has reachedthe limit of its travel toward the right and has taken up the lostmotion between link 48 and slot 52, rotating bell crank 44 in aclockwise di- 55 rection and lifted link 40 to retract the wedge 34against the action of the spring 38.

Link 54 also serves as means for rotating a bell crank 62 which isfulcrumed upon the main pivot shaft 26 and has one arm connected at 64to the link 54. Another arm of the bell crank is pivoted at 66 to a link68 connected to the knee of a toggle 12, 14. Link 12 of the toggle has afixed pivot point 16 upon the frame l8 of the base l0, while the otherlink 14 of the toggle has its opposite end free and forming a pin 18slidable in an arcuate slot 88 and forms the complementary member withwhich the wedge surface 36 of the wedge 34 cooperates in looking the arm28 in depressed position.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the operation ofthe device is substantially as follows.

The torsion spring 82, one end 84 of which bears against the arm 28 andthe other end 86 of which bears against base In, normally balances theweight of the arm 23 and holds the same in its raised position as shownin Fig. 2. After the material to be ironed has been spread over the topsurface of the buck l2 the operator grasps the handle 88 rigidly securedto the forward portion of the arm 28 and lowers the shoe 38 and arm 28against the buck l2. While holding the shoe and'arm thus depressed, theoperator grasps the weighted end 90 of the lever 58 and pulls the sameforwardly. Said motion of the lever 58 results in a rearward movement ofthe link 54, thus permitting wedge spring 38 to project the wedge 34downwardly into engagement with the pin 18. Pin 18 will have partakenthrough link 54, bell crank 62 and toggle 12, I4

I of a portion'of the movement of lever 58 and at I the time whenlooking occurs will be in substantially the position shown in Fig. 3.

As movement of the lever 58 progresses, the

. toggle 72, 74 is progressively straightened, thus increasing themovement of pin 18 along the arcuate slot 8|] to force wedge 34rearwardly and rotate the arm 28 and shoe 30 in a clockwise direction.The increased force with which the shoe 30 bears upon the buck I2 issupported by the compression spring [5 through which the buck issuspended from the frame I8 to the base I 0. Compression springs l6 maybe initially loaded by means of nuts 92 and lock nuts 94 threaded uponthe lower end of the bolts 14. The additional motion of the link 54toward the left as viewed in Fig. 4 does not serve to project the wedge34 additionally downwardly but merely results in the end 50 of link 48riding along freely in the slot 52 as shown in Fig. 4.

During this return movement link 54 moves to the right to rotate bellcrank 62 in a clockwise direction and to return the toggle 12, 14 to its60 relieving the pressure which has been applied through wedge 34, arm28 and shoe 30 to the buck I 2.

initial broken position as shown in Fig. 2, thus The latter part of thereturn of the initial portion of the movement of lever 58 also serves totake up the lost motion between the slot 52 and the end 50 of link 48.Upon reaching the limit of this lost motion during the latter portion ofthe return movement of lever 58 bell crank 44 is rotated in a clockwisedirection to retract the wedge 34 through link 40 against the action ofthe spring 38.

The shoe 38 may be heated by an electric element (not shown) and forthis reason is provided with an electric cord 96 which bears anelectrical plug 98 upon one end thereof forconnection to a domesticelectrical outlet. The shoe 30 also contains a regulating mechanism foradjusting the degree of heat at which the shoe will operate. A pointerand dial I08 is provided for this purpose. It will be recognized thatthe apparatus lends itself readily to mass production methods ofmanufacture inasmuch as the parts are simple, small in number and areeasily assembled. It will also be recognized that the apparatus issimple to operate since it only requires that one lever be actuated bythe operator, all of the different phases of the operation of themachine occurring automatically as a result of movement of this singlelever in two directions.

I claim:

1. Ironing apparatus comprising a base, a buck supported upon said base,an arm pivoted to said base, a shoe supported by said arm and movableinto and out of pressing relationship with said buck, means for lockingsaid arm with said shoe and said buck in pressing relationship, meanscooperable with a part of said locking means for increasing the pressurethereon so as to tend to rotate said arm towards said buck therebyincreasing the pressure between said shoe and said buck, and a leverstationed on said arm and associated with said pressure increasing meansfor operating the same.

2. Ironing apparatus comprising a base, an arm pivoted to one end ofsaid base so as to be movable toward and away from said base, a barcarried by said arm, a pin slidable in a slot in said base, said bar andsaid pin being so arranged relative to one another that said bar will bemoved by said pin upon movement thereof, means for moving said pinagainst said bar to effect rotation of said arm toward said base, a bucksupported upon said base and a shoe supported by said arm for movementinto and out of pressing relationship with said buck.

3. Ironing apparatus comprising a base having a buck thereon, an armpivoted to one end of said base, a shoe supported by said arm formovement into and away from pressing relationship with said buck, awedge carried by said arm, a pin slidable in a slot in said base, saidwedge and said pin being arranged so as to be adjacent each other whensaid shoe is in pressing relationship with said buck, and means formoving towards said base thereby to increase the pressure between saidshoe and said buck, said pin moving means comprising a toggle operableby means of a lever positioned on said arm.

4. Ironing apparatus comprising a base and an arm pivoted to one end ofsaid base, a buck carried by said base, a shoe carried by said arm so asto be movable into and out of pressing engagement with said buck, awedge carried by said arm, a pin slidable in a slot in said base, saidpin being engageable with said wedge when said buck and said shoe are inpressing relationship, and means for moving said pin against said wedgeto rotate said arm toward said base thereby to increase the pressurebetween said shoe and said buck, said pin moving means comprising atoggle connected to a manually operable lever mounted on said arm.

5. Ironing apparatus comprising a base and an 2,21s,sse

when said shoe and said buck are in pressing relationship, means formoving said pin against said wedge to rotate the free end of said armtowards said base thereby to increase the pressure between said buck andsaid shoe, and means carried by said arm for moving said pin and forretracting said wedge from engagement with said pm.

6. Ironing apparatus comprising an arm member and a base member pivotedtogether at one end of said base member, a buck on said base member, ashoe carried by said arm member so as to be movable into and out ofpressing relationship with said buck, a wedge on one of said members, apin on the other of said members, said wedge being engageable with anddisengageable from said pin upon movement of said shoe into and out ofpressing relationship with said buck, and means for moving said pinagainst said wedge when the same are. in engagement to cause rotation ofsaid arm about said pivot thereby to increase the pressure between saidshoe and said buck, said means comprising a toggle carried by one ofsaid members and a lever for operating said toggle.

'1. Ironing apparatus comprising a base member with an arm memberpivoted to one end thereof, a buck on said base member and a shoecarried by said arm member so as to be movable into and out of pressingrelationship with said buck, a wedge on one of said members, a pin onthe other of said members, said wedge being engageable with said pinupon movement of said shoe into pressing relationship with said buck, an

operating lever, two bell cranks pivoted on said arm member andconnected to said lever so as to be moved thereby, a link connectingsaid wedge and one of said bell cranks, a toggle between said pin andthe member upon which said pin is supported, a link between said toggleand the other of said bell cranks, said bell cranks being connected tosaid lever so that when said shoe is in engagement with said buckmovement of said lever in one direction will move said wedge out ofengagement with said pin, and movement of the lever in the otherdirection will actuate said toggle so as to move said pin against saidwedge and thereby increase the pressure between said shoe and said buck.

so 8. Ironing apparatus comprising a base, a buck supported upon saidbase, an arm pivoted to said base, a shoe supported by said arm formovement into and out of pressing relationship with said buck, anoperating lever positioned on said arm, means cooperable with said armand said base for locking said arm with said shoe and said buck inpressing relationship, and means for applying force through said lockingmeans so as to increase the pressure between said shoe and saidlationship, means cooperable with said locking means and said base forapplying force through said locking means thereby to increase thepressure with which the shoe bears on said buck, said locking means andsaid force applying means being connected to said lever thereby.

10. In a device of the class described having an arm and a basepivotally connected together, a buck carried by said base and a shoecarried by said arm and movable into and out of pressing relationshipwith said buck, an operating lever carried by said arm, a wedge carriedby said am and arranged to be projected beyond said arm, a pin mountedfor movement relative to said base and adapted to be engaged by saidwedge upon movement of said shoe into pressing relationship with saidbuck for locking-said arm to said base with said shoe in pressingrelationship with said buck, a bell crank pivoted to said arm andforming part of a connection between said lever and said wedge, saidlever being operable for disengaging said wedge from said pin so as topermit movement of said shoe away from said buck, said bell crank beingmoved by movement of said arm and said shoe away from said buck formoving said wedge to a disengaged position.

for operation THEODORERBUBH. 60

